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Neuron

Neurons are the fundamental units of the nervous system responsible for transmitting information throughout the body, consisting of sensory, motor, and interneurons. Each neuron has three main parts: dendrites, cell body, and axon, which facilitate signal reception and transmission. Neurons function through chemical and electrical synapses, allowing for rapid communication between cells.

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6 views

Neuron

Neurons are the fundamental units of the nervous system responsible for transmitting information throughout the body, consisting of sensory, motor, and interneurons. Each neuron has three main parts: dendrites, cell body, and axon, which facilitate signal reception and transmission. Neurons function through chemical and electrical synapses, allowing for rapid communication between cells.

Uploaded by

Afaq Najam
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Neuron Definition

“Neurons are the fundamental unit of the nervous system specialized to


transmit information to different parts of the body.”

What is a Neuron?
Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. They receive and transmit signals to different
parts of the body. This is carried out in both physical and electrical forms. There are several different
types of neurons that facilitate the transmission of information.
The sensory neurons carry information from the sensory receptor cells present throughout the body
to the brain. Whereas, the motor neurons transmit information from the brain to the muscles. The
interneurons transmit information between different neurons in the body.

Neuron Structure
A neuron varies in shape and size depending upon their function and location. All neurons have
three different parts – dendrites, cell body and axon.

Parts of Neuron
Following are the different parts of a neuron:

Dendrites
These are branch-like structures that receive messages from other neurons and allow the
transmission of messages to the cell body.
Cell Body
Each neuron has a cell body with a nucleus, Golgi body, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and
other components.

Axon
Axon is a tube-like structure that carries electrical impulse from the cell body to the axon terminals
that passes the impulse to another neuron.

Synapse
It is the chemical junction between the terminal of one neuron and dendrites of another neuron.
Also Read: Difference between neurons and neuroglia

Neuron Types
There are three different types of neurons:

Sensory Neurons
The sensory neurons convert signals from the external environment into corresponding internal
stimuli. The sensory inputs activate the sensory neurons and carry sensory information to the brain
and spinal cord. They are pseudounipolar in structure.

Motor Neurons
These are multipolar and are located in the central nervous system extending their axons outside
the central nervous system. This is the most common type of neuron and transmits information from
the brain to the muscles of the body.

Interneurons
They are multipolar in structure. Their axons connect only to the nearby sensory and motor neurons.
The help in passing signals between two neurons.
Also Read: Nerves

Neuron Functions
The important functions of a neuron are:

Chemical Synapse
In chemical synapses, the action potential affects other neurons through a gap present between two
neurons known as the synapse. The action potential is carried along the axon to a postsynaptic
ending that initiates the release of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. These
neurotransmitters excite the postsynaptic neurons that generate an action potential of its own.
Electrical Synapse
When two neurons are connected by a gap junction, it results in an electrical synapse. These gaps
include ion channels that help in the direct transmission of a positive electrical signal. These are
much faster than chemical synapses.

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